water

We Are Water: 10th annual celebration highlights need to respect & steward Milwaukee’s shared waters

Susan Bence

August 11 will mark Milwaukee Water Commons’ tenth annual We Are Water celebration at the newly restored McKinley Beach.

Groups of paddlers enjoying one of the Wisconsin River's sandbars.

Environment

How you can canoe down the Wisconsin River and spend the night on a sandbar

Becky Mortensen

Going camping is a favorite summer pastime for many Wisconsinites. Summer is also a great time to explore Wisconsin’s many scenic waterways. In this month’s Wandering Wisconsin we help you plan a trip where you can do both!

Angler enjoying the sights and sounds of Kletzsch Park's new fish passage along the Milwaukee River.

Environment

Kletzsch Park fish passage on the Milwaukee River: A promising connection for sturgeon and humans

Susan Bence

The new fish passage in Glendale could help lake sturgeon spawn upstream as they once did, generations ago.

Town of Peshtigo resident Doug Oitzinger took this photo DATE a 1/2 block from his home. The stream drains into the bay of Green Bay. Oitzinger says foam appears seasonally, often March through May, and says A UW-Madison scientist subsequently found that its PFAS concentration can be thousands of times higher than in the water itself.

Environment

Peshtigo's continued journey through PFAS contamination

Susan Bence

Communities around the state are grappling with PFAS contamination, including the Town of Peshtigo. Now residents hope the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency and its recent designation of two of the most studied forever chemicals as “hazardous substances" will lead to solutions for their town.

two women speak together over a mic, seated at a kitchen table. in the foreground, there is a silhouette of a filtered drinking water dispenser

Environment

‘Public Trust’ podcast explores Wisconsin’s response to PFAS contamination

Lina Tran

A collaboration between the nonprofit Midwestern Environmental Advocates and the Wisconsin Sea Grant, the project visits communities across the state directly impacted by forever chemicals.

Emily McParlane (far left in orange waders) is part of the sturgeon team working in and along the Wolf River within the Outagamie system.

Environment

Lake sturgeon spawning season on Wolf River — a conservation love story

Susan Bence

If you've never seen a lake sturgeon, the ancient species might take your breath away. On Wolf River in Outagamie County, the giant, torpedo-shaped fish are making their way upstream. Conservation efforts and public engagement are on display.

Groups like Wisconsin Conservation Voters say warning signs aren't enough to protect people impacted PFAS contamination.

Environment

As EPA limits PFAS in drinking water, Wisconsin lawmakers remain unable to agree how to address forever chemicals

Susan Bence

The EPA established strict limits on several of the manmade chemicals in drinking water, while in Wisconsin, lawmakers continue to butt heads on how to attack PFAS contamination around the state.

Honey Creek, with its concrete channel and stream bank, just south of Bluemound Rd. in Wauwatosa.

Environment

A stretch of Honey Creek may be the next Milwaukee-area waterway to ditch the concrete

Chuck Quirmbach

About a mile of Honey Creek in Milwaukee and Wauwatosa is scheduled to be the next local waterway to have its concrete streambed ripped out and replaced with a more natural channel.

Great Lakes Water Innovation Engine (Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin), led by Current Innovation NFP, aims to discover, develop and deploy innovative key technologies that attract water-intensive manufacturers to the region, recover valuable energy and mineral resources from wastewater streams, and foster workforce opportunities, all while maintaining environmental health.

UWM, Marquette, local companies part of new NSF-funded Great Lakes Water Innovation Engine

Chuck Quirmbach

The National Science Foundation effort aims to clean environment, add jobs and boost DEI.

The article ‘Racism in the water: Access for all in outdoor recreation’ looks at the racial disparities in accessing ‘blue spaces’ like beaches and pools.

Environment

‘Racism in the water’ looks at a history of racial discrimination and exclusion at pools, beaches

Xcaret Nuñez

A recent article titled "Racism in the water: Access for all in outdoor recreation" sheds light on the enduring issue of racial disparities in accessing these outdoor recreational spaces.